Obituary of Mary Hill

  Daughter, sister, mother, “GG” or “gwamma”, great-grandmother and friend; a woman who loved deeply and was deeply loved. Mary L. Hill, 81, passed away Wednesday, June 28, at her home in Fruitland, Idaho with her kids by her side, after a quick and difficult battle with cancer.

  Mary was born July 9, 1941, in Sante Fe, N.M. to Eugenio “Gene” and Eginia “Jane” Jacques. She grew up alongside her three brothers, Bob, Steve, and Phil in the California bay area. After high school, she married her sweetheart, Bob Johnston, and soon after started their family. Years later, they moved their growing family to Payette, Idaho, where she made a home and raised three children; Lisa, Kim, and Dan. Eventually moving to Ontario, OR, where she worked in insurance, and met and married Riley Hill, then added two more children, Nick and Courtney, to complete her family. Once the kids were grown, she married Larry Schimmels, and enjoyed fishing and camping in the motorhome with the family all together.

Managing her own rental properties in Ontario and McCall kept her busy, though she took every opportunity to visit with friends and family, and then later in life moved to Western Oregon to be closer to her family. Her grandkids and great grandkids were her pride and joy and filled her with happiness.

  In recent years, she moved back to Idaho, where she raised her two youngest kids, to be surrounded by friends. Aged to perfection, just like her favorite red blend, she enjoyed keeping active, socializing with friends, and participating in church and community activities, most notably with the TVCC Foundation Board, Corpus Christi Catholic Church and the Basque Club.

Mary is survived by her two brothers; Phil and Bob Jacques, 5 kids and their spouses; Lisa and Scott Barrett, Kim and Dave Hockin, Dan and Kristin Johnston, Nick and Kristie Hill, and Courtney and Ben Sherman, 10 grandkids; Jennifer, Heather, Brandon, Micaela, Brooke, Cole, Jamie, Jake, Lou and Lola, 9 great grandkids; Michael, Macie, Camden, Caleb, Addy, Charlotte, Eleanor, Easton and Skyler. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Steve Jacques.

In the end, Mary was ready to spread her wings, but her strength and will to live left a profound impact on those closest to her. One of her favorite sayings by Francis of Assisi was “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

  Her legacy will be kept alive through her kids, who have already taken a trip to McCall, her favorite place, to reminisce about the cabin, Payette Lake and of course skiing at Brundage Mountain.

Mary will be laid to rest in the Corpus Christi Columbarium. Presentation of the Rosary will take place on August 19, 2023 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Fruitland at 10:15 a.m. with a Celebration of Life to follow, which family and friends are invited to attend.

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